Foo Around and Find Out

by Kelly Oden

Get ready to Foo around! Pensacola’s favorite arts and culture festival returns for its 12th year, bringing its signature mix of creativity, community and culture to downtown Pensacola.

This year, the ACE-funded festival highlights 10 new grant recipients, including 309 Punk Project, Friends of Downtown, Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Jazz for Justice, Night Moves Inc, PenArts, Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola Opera, Pensacola State College and the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. Each one is bringing something unique to the table, and every event is one you won’t want to miss.

Alongside the grant recipients, Foo Foo Fest also offers an exciting lineup of Friends of Foo Foo events — local partners hosting their own artsy, funfilled happenings that align perfectly with the spirit of the fest.

Whether you're brand new to Foo Foo or already have your annual favorites, we’ve got the full rundown of this year’s grant-supported events and more.

Friends of Downtown Presents Afterburn

Dates: October 30 to November 10

Friends of Downtown will present Afterburn, an aerial art installation that will fly high above Intendencia Street in historic downtown Pensacola. Friends of Downtown Pensacola has enlisted world-renowned artist Tomislav Topic to create this colorful, dynamic new addition to Pensacola’s cultural scene. Afterburn (the title is a nod to Pensacola’s Blue Angels demonstration flight team) is powered by wind and light will shift and move with the breeze, allowing viewers to experience art in a personal, ever-changing way. This unique piece of public art is free and will offer an immersive experience for visitors to enjoy, photograph and share.

Pensacola Little Theatre's Somebody to Love

Dates: October 30 to November 10

Somebody to Love is a psychedelic, immersive reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adapted and arranged by Ashley Simmons, the creative force behind Pensacola Little Theatre’s 2022 Foo Foo Fest experience, Unrequited. Set to the electrifying sounds of 1960s rock, this production blends Shakespeare’s whimsical romance with the music of Jefferson Airplane, The Zombies, The Kinks and more. Audiences will be swept into a world of fairy mischief, star-crossed lovers and groovy rebellion as they wander through the Clark Family Cultural Center, where reality and enchantment blur in a haze of love, laughter and rock ‘n’ roll.

309 Punk Project's HalloZine Festival

Dates: October 30 to 31

309 Punk Project will present HalloZine Fest, a two-day interactive celebration of zine culture and DIY art that invites attendees to explore independent publishing and punkinspired creativity that highlights Pensacola’s vibrant underground arts scene. HalloZine Fest will feature zine exhibitions, hands-on workshops and artist talks by prominent zine artists Alex Wrekk (Stolen Sharpie Revolution), Julia Gorton (Beat It! zine) and Julia Arredondo (Vice Versa Press). The event concludes with a Halloween party and costume contest at the legendary venue, The Handlebar, featuring a DJ and dark wave, postpunk and goth vibes.

Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida presents HizashiCon

Dates: October 31 to November 2

Experience the vibrant pop-culture of Japan at HizashiCon’s three days of music, cosplay and anime. On Friday, October 31, a concert at The Rex Theater will feature Vocaloid and Utaite singers, video game musicians and a Visual Kei star straight from Nagoya, Japan. November 1, marks the start of the highly anticipated HizashiCon convention. Bring your best cosplay or favorite fandom t-shirt for hours of panel programming, Maid Café performances, the cosplay contest, idol festival and J-Fashion show. Gamers young and old are invited to participate in video game tournaments scheduled throughout the event in the game room. This year also features a dedicated Artist Alley and newly expanded Vendor Hall. Finally, meet the voices of some of your favorite characters in our Guest Hall. After the convention closes, the party keeps going over at The Handlebar 850 where a talented lineup of nerdcore artists will dance the night away with themed drinks and good vibes.

Pensacola State College presents Wandering Without Purpose

Dates: October 30 to November 10

Pensacola State College (PSC) will present Wandering Without Purpose, an art exhibit by Relja Penezic and Victoria Jordanova featuring paintings, video art and an interactive sound installation. The free exhibit will run throughout the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival at the Anna Lamar Switzer Gallery on the PSC campus. An artist lecture discussing the exhibited work as well as historical influences and cultural context, including a walk through the exhibition with discussions and Q&A will be held on Tuesday, November 4.

Legal Services of North Florida's Jazz for Justice

Date: November 2

Watch downtown Pensacola come alive as Jazz for Justice returns for another unforgettable day of music. As one of Foo Foo Festival’s signature events, this celebration brings together talented jazz musicians, family-friendly activities, great food from local restaurants and food trucks, along with local vendors. Whether you’re dancing or taking it easy in the VIP area, you’ll be part of something bigger. Your participation supports Legal Services of North Florida in their mission to make justice accessible for all. Free and open to the public, Jazz for Justice is music with meaning. This year, Jazz for Justice will present a lineup of nationally recognized jazz talents including Preservation Hall Brass Band, Bob Bon Vivant and Whiskey & Water.

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra presents Vivaldi's The Four Seasons at The Sanctuary

Date: November 2

From festive birdsong and thunderstorms to harvest celebrations and tranquil snowfall, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons represents Baroque music at its most vibrant. Join the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Peter Rubardt at The Sanctuary Event Space, for a special chamber music concert featuring the timeless masterpiece. Returning to the PSO’s former home from the 1950s and 60s, this special 100th anniversary performance features violin soloists Petra Bubanja, Leonid Yanovskiy, Edward Charity and Grace Kim. General admission tickets are available for $45 online at pensacolasymphony.com.

PenArts presents The Luck

Dates: November 4 to 9

The Luck is the professional world premiere of a new musical, written and performed by Nashville’s popular folk/bluegrass band The Lubben Brothers. The Luck tells the adventurous and heartbreaking tale of a group of men who leave their homes and families in New England to face an uncertain future in their search for the elusive gold in California in 1851.

Based on a Bret Harte novella, The Luck is a heartfelt and inspiring show filled with music, song, and dance that is appropriate for all ages. Joining a cast of nine talented singer/actors, The Lubben Brothers will be playing live for each performance which will add to the excitement and artistry of Foo Foo Fest 2025. The Luck will run for six performances, tickets are $20. Ticket information is available at thegordon.org.

Pensacola Opera presents Rock the Runway: Amped

Date: November 5

Pensacola Opera fuses high fashion, iconic rock anthems and operatic power in Rock the Runway: Amped — a bold, immersive event at the historic Saenger Theatre. Featuring custom couture inspired by opera’s greatest heroines, live mashups by the White Tie Rock Ensemble and international opera singers, and a catwalk showcasing local boutiques, this electrifying fundraiser will blur the lines between concert and couture. With original orchestrations by Broadway arranger Joseph Brent, Rock the Runway: Amped is a onenight-only spectacle of glam, grit and artistic fusion—unlike anything Pensacola has seen before. Tickets are $40 for balcony seats and $65 for floor seats and are available at pensacolaopera.com.

Night Moves Inc. presents Night Moves Music Fest

Date: November 8

Returning for its third year, Night Moves Music Fest will again serve as one of the Foo Foo Festival’s anchor events, transforming the waterfront amphitheater at Community Maritime Park into a high-energy celebration of indie and alternative music. Night Moves Music Fest will feature nationally-recognized headliners Japanese Breakfast, Dashboard Confessional and Joyce Manor, and local and regional acts like Origami Angel, Wishy, Mspaint, Ben Loftin and The Family, Ego Death, Katie Dineen, Lights with Fire and Marigold’s Apprentice. The one-day festival will feature live music across multiple stages, food trucks, an art garden and a vendor market, all set against Pensacola’s scenic bayfront. Ticket prices range from $89.76 for general admission to $189.96 for vip. Visit nightmovesfest.com for more info.